Anyway, finally I found something very therapeutic, and I couldn't stop giggling while staring at it!
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Taking a Break!
During the last two weeks, my eyes were going blind from reading too much, my feeling was brutally hurt, and my intelligence was constantly insulted. After reading this and this something started to make sense... (for God's sake, read them)
Anyway, finally I found something very therapeutic, and I couldn't stop giggling while staring at it!
Anyway, finally I found something very therapeutic, and I couldn't stop giggling while staring at it!
Friday, April 11, 2008
Higher, Faster, Stronger!
It has been a very long week. I have been through stages of feeling shocked, hurt, angry, depressed, confused, and finally calm and in some way enlightened, hopefully.
Lots of Chinese were actually shocked at the beginning to realized how much the Tibetans hated us. Many Chinese thought the we freed them from the medieval life style when the upper class mostly living Buddhas and monks owned everything even lives. We thought many Chinese of every generation volunteered or forced by the government to go to Tibet to build schools, hospitals, railways and the economy(Tibet has no natural resource nor they pay any tax) so that in the last decade the GDP in Tibet increased by 10% every year, higher than most areas in the rest of China and rest of the World. I think in some way what has happened in the last week is a good thing to Chinese. Finally we have to face the reality that there is something very wrong.
Lots of Chinese were angry because of the bias and the injustice done by the western media who has always portraited itself as the representative of justice, freedom and all that jazz (for more information, check out http://www.anti-cnn.com/). Personally I think there might be some good coming out of it. At least we know how it feels like to be the minority with a weaker voice and how it feels like when nobody gives a damn of what you have to say.
I was so confused. I have been reading so much in the past week (that's why I was late at work everyday :P). I tried to find out as many sides of the story as possible. I've realized how ignorant I have been on other ethnic groups in China and all the related problems. There are 56 different reported ethnic groups living in China. More than 90% of the Chinese population is Han Chinese (Han is the first dynasty of China 206 BC–220 AD, and that's what we call ourselves. Some older generation Chinese also call them selves Tang Chinese after the Tang Dynasty 618-907, when Chinese civilization reached the peak.) As the absolute dominant group, we have done many things we are not proud of especially during the Cultural Revolution. National collective craziness is not an excuse. We have never apologized. We have failed miserably to listen, to understand and to respect.
Most of the countries in the world has more than one ethnic group, and almost all of them have related issues. I don't know if every ethnic group needs to have its own country. But I do believe that when they are the same country it CAN work. As one of the Han Chinese, I think we need to drop that superior attitude, to judge less and to listen more carefully especially to the weaker voices. As the dominant group it is our responsibility and obligation to help them preserve their own culture, the language, the tradition, instead of trying to 'digest' them. I have learned that we should not be so fast to judge, to take side. We should listen more carefully, weaker the voices is more chance should be given for them to be heard.
I have had a relatively easy life. I missed the Cultural Revolution. I was 2 years old when it ended. I was 14 when Tiananmen event happened, too young to understand what was really going on. All I remember was I couldn't sleep because of the sound of gun shots (I didn't even know it was gun shots. I thought it was some kind of fire work), and the sound of my Dad's footsteps. He was pacing in our apartment the entire night. China and Chinese need freedom, democracy and human rights. But the revolution has to come from within. We have done it many times through out the history, and we can do it again. We shouldn't rely on the help from others especially the western world. They have become so rich and powerful by 'helping' others. There is no forever friends nor enemies. The only thing forever is profit.
Ethnicity is such a loosely defined term. It all depends on how far back you want to go. If you are willing to go all the way back, we would all end up in a small village in Africa. We are not that different after all. Study history, not just your version of the history, everyone else's too. Knowing where we came from, we would have better idea of where we are standing now and where we are or should be heading. The most powerful instrument of the devil is ignorance.
China is my mother land. Beijing is my home. All Chinese in spite of nationalities wish a great Olympic Game of 2008!
-------------
Footnote:
Some people ask me about Dalai Lama. The 'rock star' status of Dalai Lama in the Western world shows how ignorant the Western world is on Buddhism. Compassion is the fundamental and core teaching of Buddhism. It has always been. You should not call yourself a Buddhist if you don't preach it. Personally I don't know enough of him to judge. I have more questions of him than answers. I don't know why he pictures Tibet as this snowy peaceful heavenly place. I don't know why he doesn't tell the world what Tibet was really like under his control. To me he is as much a politician as a Buddhist. Whether he does what he preaches can only be told with time.
Lots of Chinese were actually shocked at the beginning to realized how much the Tibetans hated us. Many Chinese thought the we freed them from the medieval life style when the upper class mostly living Buddhas and monks owned everything even lives. We thought many Chinese of every generation volunteered or forced by the government to go to Tibet to build schools, hospitals, railways and the economy(Tibet has no natural resource nor they pay any tax) so that in the last decade the GDP in Tibet increased by 10% every year, higher than most areas in the rest of China and rest of the World. I think in some way what has happened in the last week is a good thing to Chinese. Finally we have to face the reality that there is something very wrong.
Lots of Chinese were angry because of the bias and the injustice done by the western media who has always portraited itself as the representative of justice, freedom and all that jazz (for more information, check out http://www.anti-cnn.com/). Personally I think there might be some good coming out of it. At least we know how it feels like to be the minority with a weaker voice and how it feels like when nobody gives a damn of what you have to say.
I was so confused. I have been reading so much in the past week (that's why I was late at work everyday :P). I tried to find out as many sides of the story as possible. I've realized how ignorant I have been on other ethnic groups in China and all the related problems. There are 56 different reported ethnic groups living in China. More than 90% of the Chinese population is Han Chinese (Han is the first dynasty of China 206 BC–220 AD, and that's what we call ourselves. Some older generation Chinese also call them selves Tang Chinese after the Tang Dynasty 618-907, when Chinese civilization reached the peak.) As the absolute dominant group, we have done many things we are not proud of especially during the Cultural Revolution. National collective craziness is not an excuse. We have never apologized. We have failed miserably to listen, to understand and to respect.
Most of the countries in the world has more than one ethnic group, and almost all of them have related issues. I don't know if every ethnic group needs to have its own country. But I do believe that when they are the same country it CAN work. As one of the Han Chinese, I think we need to drop that superior attitude, to judge less and to listen more carefully especially to the weaker voices. As the dominant group it is our responsibility and obligation to help them preserve their own culture, the language, the tradition, instead of trying to 'digest' them. I have learned that we should not be so fast to judge, to take side. We should listen more carefully, weaker the voices is more chance should be given for them to be heard.
I have had a relatively easy life. I missed the Cultural Revolution. I was 2 years old when it ended. I was 14 when Tiananmen event happened, too young to understand what was really going on. All I remember was I couldn't sleep because of the sound of gun shots (I didn't even know it was gun shots. I thought it was some kind of fire work), and the sound of my Dad's footsteps. He was pacing in our apartment the entire night. China and Chinese need freedom, democracy and human rights. But the revolution has to come from within. We have done it many times through out the history, and we can do it again. We shouldn't rely on the help from others especially the western world. They have become so rich and powerful by 'helping' others. There is no forever friends nor enemies. The only thing forever is profit.
Ethnicity is such a loosely defined term. It all depends on how far back you want to go. If you are willing to go all the way back, we would all end up in a small village in Africa. We are not that different after all. Study history, not just your version of the history, everyone else's too. Knowing where we came from, we would have better idea of where we are standing now and where we are or should be heading. The most powerful instrument of the devil is ignorance.
China is my mother land. Beijing is my home. All Chinese in spite of nationalities wish a great Olympic Game of 2008!
-------------
Footnote:
Some people ask me about Dalai Lama. The 'rock star' status of Dalai Lama in the Western world shows how ignorant the Western world is on Buddhism. Compassion is the fundamental and core teaching of Buddhism. It has always been. You should not call yourself a Buddhist if you don't preach it. Personally I don't know enough of him to judge. I have more questions of him than answers. I don't know why he pictures Tibet as this snowy peaceful heavenly place. I don't know why he doesn't tell the world what Tibet was really like under his control. To me he is as much a politician as a Buddhist. Whether he does what he preaches can only be told with time.
Tuesday, April 08, 2008
Another Side of The Story
I am sure as open minded as you are, you wouldn't mind hearing another side of the story.
To Game or Not to Game
I have been thinking for a while if I should talk about it; what should I say? how should I say it? I admit that I am not educated enough to comment on the Tibet issue. Political issues are always complicated, longer the history, more complicated it gets. Tibet has been part of the Chinese map for a long time, much longer than Northern Ireland is part of the UK, longer than North America was 'discovered' from the Natives people. I am not trying to say who is right or who is wrong. I am just saying sometimes reality is not as black and white as it seems because there are often many sides of the same story.
There are hundreds and thousands of Pro-Olympic game demonstrators in London and Paris during the torch run. You probably didn't get to see much of it. It is probably because according to the western world, showing one side of the story is also part of the freedom and democracy. Most of these demonstrators are Chinese living over seas. We know there is not much human rights in China, the whole China, not just Tibet. We as Chinese were there when Tiananman Square event happened. We know what our government is. We want freedom, human rights and all those beautiful things of mankind as much as everyone else if not more. You may ask then why they were there supporting the torch and the game? I think I have an idea.
You see most of the Free Tibet demonstrators are westerners. Most of them have never been to Tibet. Most of them probably have no idea where Tibet is, let alone the culture or history of Tibet or China for that matter. That's fine. You don't have to lose a loved one to hate war. The problem is they never bother to distinguish bewteen Chinese government and China as a country and its people. Unlike you people from the free world, we never get to vote. If you check out those Free Tibet online BBS, you will see some of them plainly hate China as a country and Chinese people. To a degree you might think Chinese killed their parents. It gets really personal now. If you find that hard to imagine, try to picture a huge crow people you have never met screaming on top of their lungs 'Shame on Canada', 'Shame on Canadian'. Yeah it feels like that. Kind of like this:
It feels like it is the whole world against us, which is nothing new anyways. Couple of hundred years ago, eight nations army marched into Forbidden City. They brought opium, and when they left they took millions pounds of gold and silver as well as Macao and Hong Kong. How is the shame actually on us?! We didn't go to other countries to start wars. We didn't set up colonies all over the world and exploit everyone to the bone. We didn't turn human into slaves. How is the shame actually on us? How are the people who did all those and still are doing it suddenly the model citizens of the world?!
The Olympic game doesn't belong to China. We don't own the game. I believe we all know the meaning of the Olympic torch. When it is forced to be put out, the shame is not just on China. Meanwhile we have set up this great show in Beijing. The door is open and everyone is more than welcome to join us. Most of those countries screaming boycott went to the 1936 Olympic Game in Germany. If you think it's better to party with the Nazis, it is better you just stay home.
At last certainly not the least, I would like to wish with all my heart that the Tibet issue would be solved peacefully someday, and may human rights, democracy, freedom and peace shine on everyone.
There are hundreds and thousands of Pro-Olympic game demonstrators in London and Paris during the torch run. You probably didn't get to see much of it. It is probably because according to the western world, showing one side of the story is also part of the freedom and democracy. Most of these demonstrators are Chinese living over seas. We know there is not much human rights in China, the whole China, not just Tibet. We as Chinese were there when Tiananman Square event happened. We know what our government is. We want freedom, human rights and all those beautiful things of mankind as much as everyone else if not more. You may ask then why they were there supporting the torch and the game? I think I have an idea.
You see most of the Free Tibet demonstrators are westerners. Most of them have never been to Tibet. Most of them probably have no idea where Tibet is, let alone the culture or history of Tibet or China for that matter. That's fine. You don't have to lose a loved one to hate war. The problem is they never bother to distinguish bewteen Chinese government and China as a country and its people. Unlike you people from the free world, we never get to vote. If you check out those Free Tibet online BBS, you will see some of them plainly hate China as a country and Chinese people. To a degree you might think Chinese killed their parents. It gets really personal now. If you find that hard to imagine, try to picture a huge crow people you have never met screaming on top of their lungs 'Shame on Canada', 'Shame on Canadian'. Yeah it feels like that. Kind of like this:
It feels like it is the whole world against us, which is nothing new anyways. Couple of hundred years ago, eight nations army marched into Forbidden City. They brought opium, and when they left they took millions pounds of gold and silver as well as Macao and Hong Kong. How is the shame actually on us?! We didn't go to other countries to start wars. We didn't set up colonies all over the world and exploit everyone to the bone. We didn't turn human into slaves. How is the shame actually on us? How are the people who did all those and still are doing it suddenly the model citizens of the world?!
The Olympic game doesn't belong to China. We don't own the game. I believe we all know the meaning of the Olympic torch. When it is forced to be put out, the shame is not just on China. Meanwhile we have set up this great show in Beijing. The door is open and everyone is more than welcome to join us. Most of those countries screaming boycott went to the 1936 Olympic Game in Germany. If you think it's better to party with the Nazis, it is better you just stay home.
At last certainly not the least, I would like to wish with all my heart that the Tibet issue would be solved peacefully someday, and may human rights, democracy, freedom and peace shine on everyone.
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